food, crochet, merriment
One week ago, this very day
we gathered all the little turkeys together,
and cooked and talked and laughed…
and played and ate…
oh, my–
how…
we
ate.
It was a glorious day–but then, my camera died so I had to gather all these pictures from random strangers and small woodland creatures. And now…a week later, when all the leftovers are finally gone,
I can actually prove that the day happened—in the first place.
Seemed important somehow.
Thanks for humoring me.
At this warm and wonderful time of year–there is always something going on in this busy kitchen of ours. The mixer is going non-stop on some days…
making sure we have enough wheat bread on hand to make us all happy.
Something even little fingers can help with.
Speaking of bread–this batch has been drying since last week. There’s just such a fine line between half-hearted-bread-drying and the serious, no-nonsense-professional-six-day deal we do around here.
When it comes to stuffing—perhaps you already know—
Heh, heh, heh.
In fact, I happen to know that there were even some tears shed over this part of the cooking…
alas…it could not be helped–and someone had to do it. :}
We even found time to toss together some incredible Cinnamon Honey Butter…you know…to go with the bread. Busy joint, this kitchen of ours.
Then, at the end of the day there is that slowing down, big deep breath moment in this kitchen, when perhaps the most glorious tasting thing in the world is…
a simple cup of herb tea, with just a smidge of honey.
Because, after all–the baking is finally, finally finished…
at least for today.
In my never ending quest to find all the incredible pumpkin recipes on the face of the earth, that are NOT called pie–we’ve talked about this before— I came upon this recipe innocently enough on a blog called Family Bites. This amazing fudge is smooth, creamy and —I shutter to say—has all the positive traits of pumpkin pie without…you know…being…pumpkin pie. All the right spices and flavors in a little, bitty scrumptious pumpkiny morsel—that I dare you to leave alone for 10 minutes at a time. I know I couldn’t–and I’m incredibly brave.
It’s magic I tell you.
Beware…be-WARE!!
Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 T. corn syrup
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
12 oz. white chocolate chips
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Melt butter in a 3-1/2 quart saucepan. Add milk, pumpkin, and sugar. Stir over medium heat till sugar begins to dissolve, then add corn syrup and spice. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a full boil. Allow the candy to boil for 10 minutes–stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your mixer, blend marshmallow cream and vanilla for about a minute. Let sit.
Remove candy from heat and slowly add the white chocolate chips, a handful at a time. Stir until melted, then add the rest a bit at a time. Pour candy into marshmallow mixture and blend on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Immediately pour into a lightly buttered 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish. Allow to set for about 30 minutes. Cut in squares and cover with foil.
Move over pie–you’ve met your match!!
“If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.”
— Rabbi Harold Kushner
Ok, now seriously–how adorable is this guy? I mean, I just want to kiss him…
and then, of course, I want to gobble him up…
along with his entire sweet little family.
I first saw this fellow on Pinterest, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find any directions to make him. So, being the sturdy mountain folk that we are–we came up with our own way. Oh yeah…we shall not be thwarted.
Here’s all you need:
~Golden Oreos
~Nutter Butter Bites
~Gummy Raspberries
~Candy Corn- you can find them in the bulk candy section
~Sucker sticks
Directions:
Unscrew two Oreos and gently press the two icing sides together to make your own “double stuff” cookie. Set the unfrosted cookie halves off to the side to eat later…or now. Either way.
Carefully poke the tips of 5 or 6 candy corn pieces into the frosting–around the edge for the tail feathers.
Next, with a smidge of icing–glue on Nutter Butter bite onto the Oreo for the head.
Break off a tip of another candy corn and “glue” it on for the beak.
With scissors, cut the sides of the gummy raspberry into little waddles. Aren’t they just perfect? Glue them along the top and side of beak. Add icing eyes.
~If you’re like me, this is the hardest part. I swear, I can ruin the cutest project on the face of the earth by trying to make the eyes. THIS time, I let Lyndi make a whole sheet of icing eyeballs so that I have a two year supply.
Holding the cookie carefully together, slide a sucker stick into the middle frosting–and tie a cute little bow around it.
These would make pretty little place markers for the Thanksgiving table–or a lovely little welcome prize for your holiday guests–don’t you think?
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
— Marcel Proust
on the face of the earth.
And I should know–I ate about 37 of them…by myself–
when no one was looking. Seriously, I’ve had whole wheat pancakes before and well, let’s just say, I didn’t go back for seconds.
But these ones…oh my. I would never have believed they were 100% whole wheat if I hadn’t made them myself–from my very own wheat that I personally ground that very morning…with a rock. Ok, not the rock part. But the rest is true. I expected to hate them, or tolerate them–at the most. But never in my wildest dreams did I expect to LOVE them–and here’s the crazy part–more than the packaged kind.
Whoa. Believe me…that’s big. Perhaps bigger still is the fact that they come together real fast and real easy. I’m all about easy.
The Fluffiest Whole Wheat Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp honey (optional)
Pour ingredients into the blender in the order listed. Whirl until there are no lumps. You may have to scrape the sides. Pour about two Tbsp of batter onto hot griddle and cook until light brown.
I’ve doubled this recipe every time we’ve made it and we get a nice huge plateful. My thought is always to freeze half the batch to warm in the toaster the next morning. Alas, it hasn’t happened yet because they disappear too soon. Yeah, they’re that good.
Perhaps tripling is in order.
